Food truck rules inch closer

The Hill City food truck ordinance will be in draft form at the next Hill City Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commision meeting. The P&Z discussed the proposed ordinance at its Dec. 5 meeting. Outgoing development services coordinator Dani Schade  said  conversations with the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce show support by members who would not, however, want to host a food truck night at the Visitor Information Center site.
Schade also questioned whether it was wise to limit trucks to seasonal use only given the long shoulder season and restaurants shutting down in winter.
Commissioner Angie Ross was opposed to trucks year-round  but commissioner Spar Stormo was OK with it.
“Right now we have businesses struggling to keep their doors open,”  said Ross, who cited brick and mortar restaurants which already  struggle in December and January. After much discussion commissioners agreed to try a May 1 to Oct. 1 season.
Location of food trucks  was also discussed, specifically their potential impact on residential neighborhoods.
Ross was concerned where vehicles that tow the  food trucks might park and was “looking out for people  who live in a community.” She worried about taking parking spots from residents. Ross wants the city to be aware of the potential to a little neighborhood, like the proposed Walnut Avenue location at Spirit of the West Buffalo Park.
“People  parking in front of your home all the time  who don’t pay your taxes is frustrating,” Ross said.
The city is looking at a Tracy Park location in addition to the Walnut location.
Commissioners decided to wait and see how the locations and traffic play out over time.
The commissioners requested information on the fee Spearfish sets for its food trucks since it was just beginning the process. The  proposed Hill City ordinance will require trucks to be licensed annually. All license  revocations will occur through the Hill City Council not through P&Z.
The proposed ordinance lists health, safety and sanitation procedures prohibiting trucks from serving alcohol, setting up structures or projecting music. The proposal will go into ordinance form as a discussion  item at the next meeting.
In an effort to handle the  Bull Run Subdivision concerns commissioners discussed adding  an additional fee when applying for building permits. Hill City doesn’t do an inspection of new homes currently.
Some cities do and charge a fee if a second inspection is warranted.
The state inspects electrical and plumbing but commissioners wanted to know if city wide HVAC inspection would be possible.
Ross said it would get hard to make HVAC inspections due to limitations with numbers of HVAC inspectors.
An alternative might be billing a builder if the city  learns of an HVAC problem after a home is  built. Another suggestion was that the new development services coordinator be trained in HVAC inspection.
Schade reminded commissioners that builders often offer one-year warranties on new construction.  No action was taken on this matter.
Businesses have until the end of the month to file with Hill City under its new business registry without incurring a $25 fee.
The P&Z commission meets again Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m.